


Newfangled Technology

by NomadicPixel



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29765187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NomadicPixel/pseuds/NomadicPixel
Summary: A friend’s prank leads to Captain America’s first interaction with Stark Tech Support
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Newfangled Technology

That little circle on his computer would be the death of him. 

He understood that it meant his laptop was processing information. From time to time he’d see it, the circular wheel of ‘thought’. Although Stark had referred to it as a throbber, he refused to use the term. It was little too…forward…for the Captain.

Steve had never seen his laptop ‘think’ for such a long period of time. A few moments stretched to a minute, and then into five. He got himself a cup of coffee, came back, and that hunk of ‘advanced’ circuitry was still ‘thinking.’

This can’t be right, he thought. 

He wiggled the mouse. It didn’t even move.

He traced his thumb over the edge of his dog-eared notebook, debating if he should make the call or not. With a slow, exasperated sigh, he opened the book and reached for the phone.

* * *

“IT, this is Alex, how may I help you?”

Steve cleared his throat and slid into his chair. “Uh yeah, hi. This is Captain…I mean, it’s Steve, well Steven…”

“How can I assist you today, Captain Rogers?”

“My computer won’t stop…thinking.”

He heard a quiet exhalation from the other end of the line. “I’m - sorry? Could you describe the issue in more detail, please? How…is it…thinking?”

_Great. I’m going to be known as a young-looking senile ‘ol coot in no time at all._

“The um…the thr-throbber. It’s been stuck like that for the last 12 minutes, and my screen is frozen.”

He ran his hand through his hair, tugging gently on the ends. If he truly had a weakness, it was speaking about technology to strangers. He’d picked up quickly on the technological improvements this world had to offer, but hadn’t yet invested as much time to learn all of the technical jargon associated with it. 

Most people who were the age he _appeared_ to be had grown up with computers, cell phones and technology as part of their everyday life. And although he had integrated some of the new tech into his life, there was just something to be said about a good old fashioned pen and paper.

“Have you tried turning it off and on again, Captain Rogers?” Alex’s voice had reached the point of extreme politeness that he had begun to recognize as the ‘grandpa’ treatment.

“I can’t. The mouse won’t move, and it won’t stop thinking. I can’t go to the reboot button thingy.”

He scrubbed one hand over the side of his face. _Great. I just said thingy. Out LOUD. Now I.T. will be sure to accelerate the grandpa protocol._

A muffled chuckle sounded from the other end. “Alrighty then, well, why don’t I run up and take a look at it?”

“Please?” Steve verified his location and ended the call before strolling into the kitchens to grab an apple.

* * *

“An apple a day keeps the Dr. away, ain’t that right ‘Cap?” Steve looked over his shoulder and smiled at Sam, who strolled in from the living room.

“Well, it’s worked for me so far.”

Wilson raised his coffee mug in salute. “Amen to that. Hey, aren’t you supposed to be doing some research for our next mission right about now?”

Steve huffed and tapped his fingers on the counter as he rocked back on his heels. “No can do. My laptop is out of commission. Alex from IT is heading up here in a bit to take a look at it.”

A slow smile built on Sam’s face. “Alex? Must be the new guy. I haven’t met him yet. Did he tell you about wiping down your computer before he got here?”

“Wiping the computer? With what?” Steve stood up straighter. He didn’t want to make a social blunder, and the gaps in his social awareness was something that niggled at him often.

Sam clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s a new policy - disinfecting the keyboards to keep the flu from spreading. Not that you have to worry about catching it, only spreading it. I’ll show you later.” A ding sounded in the front hall. “That’s the elevator anyway. I’ll take care of your laptop, you go meet Alex and bring ‘em back to your office.”

With that, Sam disappeared. 

* * *

Sam chuckled and rubbed his hands together as he sat at Steve’s laptop. His first prank worked perfectly. He’d taken a screenshot of Steve’s desktop icons when a program was loading, and set that as his desktop wallpaper before hiding them. It made it look like Steve’s laptop was frozen, when in reality he’d made a couple minor changes and disconnected the mouse’s fob.

He chuckled as he set a new, special screen saver for Cap’s computer. Knowing that the techs that were normally sent up to support the Avengers tended to have odd, Stark-like senses of humor, he hoped that Alex would get a laugh at it. If not Steve, and perhaps Sam himself, could be in for a lecture later. 

He plugged in the fob for the mouse and locked the screen just as footsteps echoed down the hall.

As he walked away, the animated Uncle Sam danced across the screen in ass-less chaps, shaking it’s rear end, with the caption ‘Patriotic Booty.’

* * *

Steve looked up to see a tall woman in jeans and a hoodie peeking around the corner. Her face split into a wide grin when she saw him. “Captain Rogers! It’s nice to meet you, I’m Alex, we spoke on the phone.”

She was more attractive than he had expected. Her auburn hair was woven back in a braid, and she was wearing a large pair of black rimmed glasses that emphasized her green eyes, which were currently trained on him in confusion. 

“Ahem…would you mind showing me where the laptop is, sir?”

A blush burned across his ears as he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. _Can’t keep letting myself get caught staring like that._ He spun around and headed to his office, motioning for her to follow him. 

Sam left the room as they entered, nodding to him as he passed. Steve thought he saw a flicker of emotion cross his face when he saw Alex, and then he was gone, double time.

Alex walked around the desk and sat in his chair. _Don’t stare, Rogers._ He cleared his throat and leaned back against the doorway, looking around the office while watching her in his peripheral vision. 

_She looks flushed. It is a little warm in here._

“I can adjust the temperature for you if you’d like?” he asked, giving Alex a friendly smile.

Alex was shocked out of her focused clicking. “I’m s-sorry?”

“You look a little warm, did you want me to turn up the air conditioning?” he asked, casually sliding into one of the guest chairs on the opposite side of his desk.

“No!” She squeaked. “No, I”m fine. Thanks.” She adjusted her glasses and squirmed a little in her seat, her face flushing a darker shade. 

She spent a few minutes clicking and typing away, clearly aware of whatever had happened to his computer. 

“You’re all set, sir. It looks like a friend of yours decided to prank you is all. Your computer wasn’t frozen, it only looked that way. I’ve set your desktop wallpaper back to rights. You’re good to go.”

He tilted his head as Alex spoke. “My wallpaper? What was wrong?”

She pointed to the screen in front of him while he crossed back behind the desk. “That was a picture of the icons you had. Anyway, it’s fixed.” She chewed on her lower lip and squirmed in her seat. “Unless you have any questions, I’ll get out of your way. Sir.”

Her hands were fisted on the desk, and she was looking anywhere but in his face. He knew what it was like to be shy, and didn’t want to press her. Tony probably had her up to her eyeballs in work anyway.

He was perplexed. He didn’t understand the cause of the transformation from the confident, assertive Alex that met him at the elevator; to this anxious new person, who looked at his forehead instead of into his eyes.

He stepped closer to her and looked back at his laptop. It seemed to be working normally again. He clicked on different icons while leaning over her shoulder. A ‘move’ that Natasha had showed him a few months prior.

“It looks great. Thank you.” 

She nodded, and quickly stood up, gathering her messenger bag, and heading to the door in long steady strides. He followed her out, opening doors for her on the way to the elevator. 

“Thanks again for coming up so quickly. Maybe I could buy you a coffee sometime to say thank you?”

Alex stepped back away from him, looking at him like a wide eyed doe. “No need, s-sir. But…thank you. Just consider it me doing my…patriotic _duty_.” Her flush lit up the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. The smile she gave him ended with a little tick in the corner of her mouth. She backed into the elevator selecting her floor, nodding at him as the doors closed.

Steve nodded back, somewhat disappointed that she didn’t accept the coffee. It could have been a first date. 

It hadn’t mattered to him that she was shy, in fact, she reminded him of how he often felt before he had the serum. He turned and walked back down to his office, settled into his chair, and fell right out of it as soon as he saw his machine.

There, dancing on the screen, was an animated screensaver that he knew was certainly _not_ there this morning. 

“Hey Cap - what’s the commotion?” Scott strode into Steve’s office, circling around his desk while sipping a cup of coffee. Which he promptly spewed into the air when he saw a shirtless Uncle Sam Cartoon was dancing on the laptop screen in assless chaps, shaking what was noted as his ‘Patriotic Booty’.

“Please tell me this is a joke.”

Scott doubled over, setting his coffee down on the desk, a surprised guffaw echoing from him. “Damn Cap, I didn’t know that was your thing.”

“It isn’t. Not that there is anything wrong with it, it’s just not for me.”

“Has Sam…been…anywhere near…your computer…today?” he asked, while wiping away tears of laughter.

“Yeah, why?”

“He showed me that screensaver last night.”

“Last night…that would mean…”

He thought back to Alex’s strange comment of doing her ‘patriotic duty’. Her behavior change. The stuttering, her blush…she must have seen the screen saver.

“I’m gonna kill him.”


End file.
